This disclosure relates generally to chiller systems used in air conditioning systems, and more particularly to a purge system for removing contaminants from a refrigeration system.
Chiller systems such as those utilizing centrifugal compressors may include sections that operate below atmospheric pressure. As a result, leaks in the chiller system may draw air into the system, contaminating the refrigerant. This contamination degrades the performance of the chiller system. To address this problem, existing low pressure chillers include a purge unit to remove contamination. Existing purge units use a vapor compression cycle to separate contaminant gas from the refrigerant. Existing purge units are complicated and lose refrigerant in the process of removing contamination.